


Adrenaline and Cortisol

by Bladesilverred



Series: Unification [3]
Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, F/F, Gem Fusion, Light Angst, Rebellion
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-13
Updated: 2019-11-13
Packaged: 2021-01-29 18:54:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,929
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21415012
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bladesilverred/pseuds/Bladesilverred
Summary: The body's response to fear is to produce two hormones: adrenaline and cortisol.(and yes I know, gems don't have bodies or hormones. Just let me be nerdy)
Relationships: Blue Diamond/Yellow Diamond (Steven Universe)
Series: Unification [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1541746
Comments: 5
Kudos: 48





	Adrenaline and Cortisol

A rebellion had started on one of Yellow’s former colonies. The changes of Era 3 weren’t always well received, and small uprisings often occurred. 

However, this was a large one. Most of the time, Blue or Yellow could deploy a battalion of Jaspers or Topazes to quell the unrest. They had tried this, even combining forces to add more gem power. But their gems were getting injured and the empire no longer turned a blind eye to this suffering. 

So, Blue and Yellow had taken their ships to assist their gems. Their combined strength should have been enough to defeat the rebellion quickly, but these gems were smart. They had a Sapphire to anticipate every move, and enough Jaspers and Amethyst and Topazes to cause trouble. 

Since fusion was no longer outlawed, more gems were experimenting, forming beautiful and loving fusions across the galaxy. This also came at a price. A Sapphire fused with five Jaspers and a Topaz had enough strength to defeat countless other soldiers, and the future vision to keep away from harm’s way. 

Blue’s hand ship had been immediately destroyed, with barely enough time for her to leave its chambers. Yellow opted to keep her ship outside of orbit, instead teleporting to the base on the surface. The two found each other, fighting giant fusions with every step.

Steven, who was the least experienced in rebellion, had insisted on coming to try to reason with the gems. The two Diamonds had agreed, if only to stop his incessant pleading. And of course, the Crystal Gems could not let Steven go alone. 

It had been going alright. Blue brought the gems in the area to their knees with her aura, the powerful fusions all broken apart. Next, Yellow destabilized all of them, razing down all gems she could see. They all breathed a sigh of relief at the gemstones dotting the ground, as if it had rained glittering rain. 

They began bubbling them, tapping them off to chambers to be set on trial. None would be shattered, of course, and Blue had organized a new system that allowed rebels to write their grievances, giving them a chance to advocate peacefully for change. 

But as they were all stooped down collecting gems, a new wave came, much larger than the one before. Yellow had sensed the movement first, and formed an electric barrier around them, instantly proofing any gem who tried to cross. 

“I can’t hold them off forever!” yelled Yellow between gritted teeth. 

“If we move over to that cave, we can fight them without needing to watch our backs!” said Garnet said calmly, her voice only raised to be heard above the noise. 

Yellow nodded and began to walk, her force field poofing any gems that tried to block their path. 

When they reach the cave, everyone fans out, forming a wall in the entrance. Weapons out, they assume fighting positions. 

“Lower the field!” shouted Steven.

Electricity crackled and dissipated and Yellow slides to the ground in exhaustion. But by the time Blue rushes to her side, she had already pushed herself to her feet. 

They fought wave after wave. Whips and spears whistled as they were swung through the air, gauntlets and shields hitting their targets with a bang. Occasionally Yellow or Blue flung out their hand, stopping the gems for a few seconds. 

Finally they were starting to see the end. The gems that came were weaker, less trained in fighting, clearly the last wave of rebels. 

“I can take them all out!” Yellow shouted, seeing the tired faces of her comrades. 

“No, Yellow, it’ll destroy your form! You can’t unleash so much energy,” Blue cried, reaching out a hand to stop the other Diamond. 

“Watch over my gem for me!” A tsunami of electricity poured out of Yellow’s outstretched hands, causing the ground to tremble. The golden gem, overtaken by bright light, poofed under the stress, leaving only a yellow diamond behind. 

Blue snatches it out of the air, holding it close to her chest. Just as she’s about to declare their victory, the cave walls begin to crumble. 

A huge slab of rock falls from the ground, separating the group. Amethyst, Steven, and Blue are pushed to the back, their only exit closed off. 

“Steven!!” Pearl screams, getting a last glimpse of her precious boy through the falling rocks. 

…

Once the dust settles, the remaining crystal gems begin to attack the fallen debris, trying to create some sort of exit. 

“No, we’ll only create another avalanche,” says Garnet, adjusting her visor, “they’ll be okay. We just need to be patient.”

They begin to relax, their bodies spent from the intense fighting. All except for Pearl, who flings herself onto Garnet as she sobs. 

…

“Uhhh so what do we do now?” asks Amethyst, whipping at the rock barrier. 

Steven turns to Blue, who is cradling her lover’s gem in her palms, tears sliding down her cheeks. “Blue, can you help us? You’re the biggest, and we’re not making any progress.”

Wiping her tears away, she nods. Her gem glows as she attacks the blockage with glowing blue light. A few stray stones come tumbling down, but nothing budges. 

“Uhhh BD, this is gonna take forever. How long until your girlfriend comes back?” Amethyst groans, flopping on her back.

“My what?” 

“Your--”

“What Amethyst means is how long until Yellow reforms?” Steven interrupts quickly. 

The azure gem looks down at the Diamond in her hands. 

“Well, normally she takes a few cycles. But I’m not sure, she really put a lot of energy into that attack,” Blue says and sighs before continuing, “she’s just so selfless, always sacrificing herself to save everyone else.”

“We could really use Green right now,” comments Amethyst errantly.

“Green!” shouted the half-gem, “Blue, you gotta form Green! She can move all this dirt and rock!”

Blue stares at the smaller gems. “But Yellow isn’t here. We can’t form Green,” she deadpans. 

Amethyst sits up. “Nah, Steven did it before. Remember when you two went all crazy on us because Steven and Connie fused at the ball?”

Turning her head in shame, Blue nods. “Yes, but what does that have to do with our situation now?”

“Well later, after you and Yellow were mind controlled by White, we all fell down and I fused with Amethyst’s gem to save us! I did it with all the Crystal Gems,” Steven said excitedly, “You could do that with Yellow’s gem and then we’d have Green!”

The azure gem nearly drops the gem in her hand. “N-no!” she stutters, “Yellow would never allow it!”

“Why not?” Steven asked.

“Well she’s not here to agree for one, and secondly, fusion is new to both of us,” Blue says, looking down once again, “I don’t know if she’d be okay with us fusing. She’s not here to give consent.”

“Come on, Blue D! You know she’d anything for you. She loves you and all that,” Amethyst rolls her eyes. 

“No.” Blue’s mouth presses into a line. “I won’t do it without her permission. We’ll just have to find another way or wait for her to come back.”

“Okay well Steven and I aren’t big enough to make a dent in this thing. If they try to move it from the outside, it’ll crush us in here,” Amethyst ticked on her fingers, “and Yellow is not coming back anytime soon...”

“We’ll just have to wait. I’m sure it won’t take much longer than a few Earth months. She’s very efficient,” Blue says proudly.

“Months? I’ll starve!!” Steven yells, beginning to panic.

“Starve? You said that before. What is it?”

After a short explanation of human energy needs, even Blue begins to panic. 

“I won’t let anything happen to you, not again,” she cries, cradling Steven in one hand.

Steven pushes her hand slightly away, “Blue, you gotta do it. Yellow won’t be mad, I know it.”

“Yeah,” Amethyst adds, “besides, Yellow did it with you that one time at the Kindergarten and she didn’t ask first.”

“That was different!” Blue tugs at her robe nervously. “Are you sure there’s no other way out?”

The smaller gems shake their heads in unison. 

Defeated, the Diamond drops to her knees. “How do I do this?”

“Think about how much you love her and focus your energy on that,” Steven calls encouragingly. 

“That shouldn’t be hard,” Amethyst mutters under her breath, before Steven elbows her in the side.

Blue takes a deep breath. Clutching the golden gemstone to her chest, she begins to speak reverently. “Yellow, I love you more than you can imagine. You’ve done so much for me, for us, for everyone else. I know you push yourself so hard, and sometimes I wish you wouldn’t. You should rest too...but right now, I need you.”

The azure gemstone in her chest begins to glow, light engulfing her. Before the blue light can turn into green, she whispers the two words. “I’m sorry.”

…

“We need to move,” Garnet says suddenly, rousing the team into action.

“What why? Is something going to happen?” Pearl says, wringing her hands together. 

“Yes. They just figured out a way to get out. We need to get out of the way. Now.”

The remaining Crystal gems stood back just in time for a huge explosion. Rocks and dirt were thrown away as a large figure shot out of the cave. She lands in a crouch, two of her arms cupped at her middle and the top of her emerald boot peeking out from the slit on her dress. The green gem opens her hands to reveal Amethyst and Steven.

As Pearl launches herself at the two, and the other gems walk calmly to them, Green summons Yellow’s ship with one of her hands. A bubble encloses around them, and they teleport into the ship’s chambers.

The moment they are safe inside, Green unfuses. Her counterparts land apart from each other, Yellow crouched, and Blue behind her, on her hands and knees. 

Yellow stands up, and looks around, confused. Spotting Steven, she calls to him. “Are you okay? Where’s Blue?”

Steven nods and points behind her shoulder. Turning around, the golden gem rushes to her side. “Blue? Are you okay? Are you hurt?”

The azure gem hung her head lower, her long hair pooling on the ground in front of her. “I’m sorry.”

“For what? Green saved us!” Yellow lowers herself on her knees, sitting before the hunched figure.

“I didn’t have your permission.”

A golden hand parts the curtain of white hair, grasping the face that emerges. Her eyes glow and her brows tilt down. “Blue,” she begins, the severity of her tone causing Blue’s eyes to widen slightly, “There is nothing I wouldn’t do to protect you. I would never forgive myself if something happened to you and Steven and I wasn’t there to save you.” 

Blue nods her head slowly, moving to a sitting position. She pulls Yellow into a crushing hug. “I’m just so glad you’re okay. That everyone is okay.”

Yellow returns the hug, saying, “Besides, this is a _much_ more efficient way to reform. It barely took 30 minutes!”

Blue unwraps her arms, pulling away to look at her in the eyes. “Just don’t make this a habit, okay?”

A laugh makes its way out of Yellow’s mouth as she pulls the other Diamond back into her embrace. “I won’t.”

Just a few paces away, Steven begins to cover his eyes with his arm. “I think we should give them some space.”

Amethyst laughs. “Okay, Padparadscha.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!


End file.
